Promise of tougher times for scammers, thanks to a number of new endeavours aiming to build up our defences

The Government's announced a new legal protection - known as safe harbour - to allow banks, telecom providers and digital providers to quickly block suspected scams without fear of prosecution.

A flagger system for sharing information on possible scams, and a new fraud intelligence tool to stop mule accounts have also been confirmed.

New Zealand Banking Association CEO Roger Beaumont says these are significant, and all build up towards a real war chest to take on they scammers.